Page 24 of Hang the Moon
“I told you I love roller coasters. Heights don’t bother me.”
Her bladder, on the other hand, was hard to ignore.
Above their heads, crackling static came from a recessed speaker. A throat cleared. “Um, sorry for the interruption, folks. We’re having some technical difficulties, which is why we’ve been stalled out for the last few minutes.”Few minutes?They’d been up here for going on half an hour. “Good news is, our technician is taking a look as we speak. Sit tight and we should have the wheel up and running shortly.”
Perfect.God only knew how long they’d be stuck in this cabin, dangling up in the air.
She crossed her legs tighter, and when that didn’t relieve the pressure, she leaned forward, bracing her hands on the bench to either side of her, her fingers gripping the leather seat.
Brendon set his hand on her shoulder. “You okay?”
She opened her mouth, pausing when her bladder seized, cramping. Her lips twisted. “Yeah. I’m fine.”
She wasnotfine. She felt like she was about to burst, to be honest. She released her grip on the bench and crossed her legs the opposite direction, squirming in her seat.
He frowned. “You sure?”
“I should’ve stopped by the restroom before getting on. I didn’t think we’d get stuck up here,” she admitted, warmth creeping up the back of her neck.
He winced. “Sorry.”
“Because you’re totally responsible for my bladder.” She huffed out a laugh, scrunching her nose. On second thought, laughing was bad. “Distract me.”
His eyes dipped, his gaze landing and lingering on her mouth, making her wonder for one bizarre moment what method of distraction he was considering.
She swallowed hard. Either Brendon freaking Lowell had miraculously gotten her wet with just that look, or she had peed a little. Shereallyneeded to up her Kegel game.
Whatever method of distraction he had in mind didn’t matter when her phone rang, Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” blaring from inside her bag.
He laughed. “Is that your ringtone?”
She fished around inside her purse, finding her phone buried deep beneath her wallet. “Just for Darcy.”
Her thumb hovered over the screen, ultimately sending Darcy to voicemail. She was a smidge preoccupied at the moment, her bladder making it difficult to concentrate. That, and she was with Brendon. He deserved her—mostly—undivided attention.
She slipped her phone back inside her bag. She’d call Darcy later.
“Have you heard of the Astley paradox?” he asked.
She shook her head. “Is it like the Mandela effect? Where half the people remember something one way and half don’t? Because I swear on all that’s holy the Monopoly man once wore a monocle.”
“Yes!” He slapped his thighs eagerly. “Or,Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. The Abominable Snowman—”
“Had a toothache!” Thank God she wasn’t the only one who remembered that. “And the little dentist elf fixed it and then he—”
“Bumble,” he said. “The Abominable Snowman’s name was Bumble.”
“Bumble.” She nodded. “Then he wasn’t abominable anymore.”
He sighed grimly. “I don’t get how people don’t remember that.”
“Right? Too weird.” Her bladder gave another twinge. “So this Astley paradox?”
“Oh, right.” He swiveled slightly, their knees knocking. “No, totally different. Okay, imagine you ask Rick Astley to borrow his copy of the movieUp.”
She nodded, going along with the hypothetical situation wherein she’d, first,knowRick Astley, and, second, need to borrow an animated movie. “All right.”
Brendon laughed softly under his breath. “He can’t give it to you because he promised he’s never going to give you up.”
